Outcasts
by Maximus Artilius
Summary: Three years have gone since Ash disappeared without a trace. His location: Unknown. His status: Unknown, presumed dead. But he's not dead, and now he's back and he has a mission to do. More info in Author's Note. If this story upsets any readers, tough!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, this is my first Pokemon FanFic, but not my first FanFic, I've had this idea in my head for a while now, so here it is, hope you guys enjoy. Just to let you know, this story will be quite dark in some places, very dark. **

**This story takes place in the Kanto and Johto regions, this story starts when Ask, Misty and Brock split up. In this story, Ash is 14, my story, my rules; also Ash never went to the Hoenn region, or the other regions. They will feature later, don't worry.**

Ash watched his two best friends go down their roads towards their homes. A smile crept its way onto his face, his journey was over, for now at least, he'll make his way to Indigo Plateau the next week to challenge the Elite Four, and to beat the champion of the dual regions. He set off, Pikachu happily sitting his shoulder.

"We've been through a bit haven't we pal." Ash said to his loyal friend.

"Pika" Pikachu answered happily, he sway slightly on Ash's shoulder, but kept himself balanced by clinging onto Ash's bag. Ash looked at the long road ahead. It'd take him at least a day to get to Viridian City. Wild Pidgey flew overhead, and it reminded Ash of his first experience with flying Pokemon, or as it later became know as, the Spearow incident. Ash checked on the Pokeballs on his belt. All in order, all of them ready for action. Ash walked over a hill, and something caught his eyes. The body of a young girl. He ran to her side, dread filling his mind.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Ash said as he dropped to his knees by her. He laid a hand on her shoulder, and felt cold skin beneath his fingers. He rolled her over, and then felt a hand impact his chin. Ash fell backwards, blood dripping from his bitten tongue. The girl got to her feet, and got into a combat stance. _What the hell is going on here?_ Ash thought. The girl lunged at Ash, her right foot connecting Ash's stomach. Ash fell to his knees groaning, and then Pikachu attacked. Bolts shot from his cheeks, hitting the girl, sending her flying backwards. But before Pikachu would attack again, a net shot out of a ditch by the road, and engulfed Pikachu. Ash jumped up and grabbed the net, only to be repelled by sharp barbs which dug deeply into his hands, Pikachu screamed in shock, but Ash saw the barbs were only on outside of the net. Pikachu shocked the net, but nothing happened, not even a scratch. Ash saw dark clothed figures jump out the ditches and holes by the road, and rush towards him. Ash grabbed one of his Pokeballs with his bloody hand, and released Charizard. (_Yes I know Charizard wasn't with him when he leaves, but in this story, Ash keeps him after Johto Conference_) Charizard came out with a roar, and before Ash could give him an order, he swished his tail, taking out a dozen or so of the figures.

"Save Pikachu." Shouted Ash, and he let fly a rough punch at the nearest figure. The figure easily dodged the punch, and hit Ash with an uppercut, smashing him backwards. As Ash was on the floor, he could see Charizard slash at the net, splitting it in two, freeing the electric Pokemon.

"Run Pikachu! Get help!" Ash cried, as another figure let a kick rush at Ash's head. Ash managed to avoid the kick, and the figure flew backwards as Charizard blew him away with a Gust. Pikachu looked at Ash, a pleading in his eyes, but he knew he had to obey his master, his friend. Pikachu dodged a figure that jumped to catch him, and ran down the road towards the crossroads where Ash, Brock and Misty had parted ways. Ash grabbed the rest of his Pokeballs, and released Snorlax, Noctowl, Bayleef, and Quilava. All of them leaped to Ash's defence, fighting away the shrouded figures. A new figure, instead of wearing black like the others, wore a red uniform, with a red head wrap obscuring his features. He pulled out of his belt a strange looking pistol and then aimed it at Charizard. Charizard looked at the red man, and then rushed towards him. A loud bang stopped Charizard in his tracks. Another bang rang out, and Charizard jerked backwards. He slowly turned towards Ash, and Ash saw two gaping holes in Charizard's chest. A cold hand gripped Ash's heart and squeezed unmercifully. Ash ran forward to Charizard as he fell to his side, breathing now rapidly. Ash pressed his hands against the wounds, trying to slow the bleeding, but it didn't slow, it did nothing. Charizard let out one final growl to Ash, a growl of eternal respect, before the light of life blinked out of his eyes.

The rest of Ash's Pokemon now fought with brutal viciousness, tearing into the attackers, leaving gaping wounds. The red clothed man fired again, and Snorlax fell down with a sickening thud. Ash felt the world freeze, and he surveyed the scene around him. Quilava was roasting a figure with Flamethrower, whilst next to him, Bayleef was whipping several figures Vine Whip. Noctowl was swooping dangerously around the entire scene, and Snorlax…just lay there, a pool and blood surrounding his huge form. _What is going on? How did this happen?_ Ash's mind asked him, but he had no answer. He looked down at his hands and saw his own blood mingling with Charizard's. Ash didn't know what to do, everything had turned from peaceful and enjoyable, to his worst nightmare in just a few short minutes. When Ash suddenly came to his senses, he felt the cold end of the gun against his temple.

"Call them off, or I will." The armed man said, his voice as cold as liquid nitrogen. Ash realised he had no choice, and let out a low whistle. His Pokemon stopped what they were doing, and looked at their master.

"Get out of here guys, NOW" Ash shouted at them all. They looked at him confused, and then Noctowl let a worried hoot out.

"Please, just get out of here, find Pikachu." And with that, they all ran down the road towards where Pikachu had run. The red cowled figure aimed at them, but Ash leapt forward, hit the gun out of his hands. Ash smacked the figure in the face with a wild punch before his was brought down by a dozen other punches. Ash fell to his knees, and then felt two small, but strong hands grip him around the neck, and twist slightly.

"Please let me finish this one off." Said a light voice that floated on the air, but it also seemed to be overly sickly. The man in red, turned towards Ash, and adjusted his cowl.

"No, the Boss wants this one alive; you can kill the next one. Now deal with him, we've got to leave." Ash felt the hands around his let go, and then saw a fist coming straight at his face, he knew no more.

Ash woke up, his face against rumbling, grated metal. He ached all over, and he wondered why his head thumped like a Poliwrath on a drum. The memories shot back to him. The girl on the road. The attack. The red cowled man. The gunshots. Charizard's blood. Sending Pikachu and the others away. Ash opened his eyes gently, and saw that he was in a dimly lit box with two others, a boy and a girl. He sat up wearily, and the boy glanced his way.

"He's up Tanya, pass me the water." He said simply, the girl, Tanya, passed him a small bottle of water which he then passed to Ash how took it carefully.

"Where am I?" Ash asked taking a small sip of the very little water in the bottle. The boy let out a small smile.

"No idea mate, woke up in here like you, name's Max, Max Sharp, this is Tanya Shaw." He said, gesturing to himself and Tanya.

"Hey." Tanya said quietly. Ash looked around himself, and then studied his companions. Max had curly grey hair, most of which was hidden by the black beanie hat he wore. His hazel eyes were deep and penetrating. He wore a leather jacket, with a plain black shirt that matched his dark jeans. Tanya had dirty blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. Her clothes were similar to Max's to, but she wore a black denim jacket instead of leather. By the state of their clothes and faces, they had had a similar experience to Ash. He noticed their Pokeballs were missing, leaving empty clasps on their belts.

"Who are they? They people who…well, did this?" Ash croaked, and took another miniscule sip. He assumed that this water was all they had, so he couldn't be greedy.

"Team Rocket, Extreme Division." Tanya said, venom slinking into her voice.

"Team Rocket?" Ash asked incredulously. _Really? Are the capable of doing that to…_Ash started thinking, but his own brain stopped him, it was too painful to even think about his friends, his partners.

"Yeah, they ambushed us in Celadon City, we weren't ready for an attack, and they overpowered us. They…took them, our Pokemon. I don't know what's happened to them. I should have paid more attention" Max said, standing up, and punching one of the walls. Tanya got up as well, and placed a hand on Max's shoulder. Ash got up as well, his legs barely holding his weight.

"Max, calm down, it'll be alright, we'll get out of here somehow." He told him.

"I wouldn't bet on it." Said a voice over an intercom in the corner of the roof. All three of them looked up, and the voice continued.

"You're correct, we are Team Rocket's Extreme Division, and we are just following our orders. To collect all the trainers who have caused…problem for Team Rocket. Luckily for you three, the Boss wants you alive. Now shut up or you'll sincerely regret it." And with that, the voice switched off. The three kids looked at each other, and Ash felt determination run through his veins.

"We'll get through this; we'll get out of here and make them pay." He whispered, and by the looks on the other two's faces, they agreed with him. Ash sat down on hard floor and hung his head. Everything had going great, and now? Now he was in some box with two other trainers in the same boat as him. Max looked over at Tanya, who was holding her head in her hands. He moved over to her and wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders. Ash's and Max' eyes met, and Max nodded grimly, whatever Ash did, Max was with him.

+==Three Years Later==+

Misty walked down the road, her Psyduck waddling next to her, its head bobbing in its hands. Misty glanced around, feeling more edgy than usual, her hands ready by her belt next to her Pokeballs. Misty heard a rustling in the bush by the road; Psyduck looked up at Misty, and then began to glow with psychic power. Suddenly out of the bush jumped Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu.

"Pika pi?" He inquired to Misty. Those few words he said suddenly sent Misty back to the day that still gave her nightmares.

She had just walked away from Ash and Brock, her greatest, and best friends, tears were standing in her eyes. She kept on walking though, determined not to look weak in front of them. She heard a screech behind her and saw some commotion on the road Ash took, a small grin appeared on her lips _He's probably got into a battle already_ she thought, but after a few moments, the "battled" seemed to be getting a bit violent, and then she was a yellow blur run towards her. She tried to follow it with her eyes but it suddenly bowled into her knocking it off her feet. She fell with a cry, and then saw it was Pikachu, shouting randomly at her. She noticed that Pikachu looked a lot more grimy than usual, and there even seemed to be blood on his coat of yellow fur. Misty then looked down the road, and towards the commotion which seemed to have to horribly violent with flames, and vines slinging around in sight. Misty started back down the path, and soon breaking into a run. She reached the crossroads, and also saw Brock running back down his road. When he saw her, her rushed to her side and said.

"What's happened? I could hear the noise a mile away." Misty shook her head, panting from the sudden burst of speed.

"I don't know, but something's happened to Ash." She said simply, and then there were several gunshots shattering the air. Brock and Misty exchanged glances and then ran down the road Ash had gone down.

They hadn't got far before they saw Quilava, Noctowl, and Bayleef rushing towards them. All three of them looked worse than Pikachu, and they had terrified expressions in their eyes.

"What happened guys?" Brock said, but they said nothing simply turned and looked up the small hill, which the road went up. Pikachu rushed in front of them, and the pursed, but when they reached the top of the hill, and saw the road where Misty had seen the commotion start, they stopped dead, and Misty felt her heart stop for a moment. Charizard and Snorlax both lay still with pools of dark red collecting around them. Signs of battle were scattered around the road.

But there was no sign of Ash. They rushed down the road, and Brock went to both Charizard and Snorlax, and shook his head sadly at both, tears running down his face. Misty was running around calling Ash's name, but it was as if he had never been there.

Misty snapped back to the now, and she felt tears running down her cheeks. She shook her head, clearing her mind and eyes.

"Pika?" Pikachu inquired again. Misty nodded, understanding what Pikachu meant. Since the…event, Pikachu had stayed with Misty as she travelled searching for Ash. She had searched for the last three years, with no trace from him, none at all.

And now she was going to Pallet Town, to meet with Brock, Tracey, Delia, Gary and Professor Oak, as she had done on the date of his disappearance. She climbed the last hill, ad finally saw her destination. She stopped for a moment and looked over Ash's hometown. There was Gary's house, Professors Oak lab with all his grounds, Brock and Tracey's bungalow they used when they were down and of course Ash's house. Misty let out a sigh, and started down the hill with Pikachu by her side.

"This is stupid; you're putting us and them in danger!" A hooded figure said to his companion as they overlooked the small town from a low cliff.

"I know, but…" Said his companion but left his sentence unfinished. The other figure shook his head, and stepped away from the edge.

"I'm sorry Ash, but we've got to move on, the storm's coming, and we don't have a proper shelter." He said, turning his head.

Ash gave another glance over his hometown, and with a sigh left the edge as well. He walked down a short slope over to an outcropping of rock. Underneath were a couple of bags, and a fire pit with a pot over it being tended to by his second companion. Ash ducked the lip of the outcropping and into the small camp and sat down. His other companion also sat down, and pulled his hood down revealing the face Max. The figure tending to the food looked up and Tanya smiled at them both. Ash and Max smiled back and then dug bowls for each of them out of their packs. Tania grabbed a ladle and then scooped some of the stew she was cooking into the three bowls. The group finished quickly and then packed up the eating utensils and kicked the fire pit full of dirt to make it appear as if they had never been there.

"So Ash, where to now?" Max asked shouldering his large pack. Ash picked up a handful of dirt and then let the wind blow out of his hand.

"Wherever the wind may take us." He said poetically. Max let out a laugh and Tanya grinned widely.

"That just might be the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." Max told him. Ash smiled, but a sudden crash of thunder nearby brought them back to reality, their reality. Each of them quickly checked their Poke-balls on their belts, and then set off further into the woods, trying their best to keep light hearted, even though it seemed that everything was trying to keep them down.

**So what do you think? It will get better I promise, and all will be explained about Ash, Max, and Tanya in the next few chapters.**

**I'm sorry to all you Charizard and Snorlax lovers, but it needed to happen for the story to unfold.**

**Please review guys and gals; they motivate me to keep writing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, I'm back again, and with a message to my four reviewers, Nauran, Swagnilla-Ice-1985, Kelly Miley and Hershey's Girl, thanks for reviewing, and I know the grammar is bad, but I have 3 reasons for it.**

**1 – I was on a terrible computer that was buggering everything up**

**2 – I wrote it at around 2 in the morning**

**And 3 – I was actually drunk when I wrote and posted this, I only found it the morning after, so I apologise for my drunken writing, I'm a better writer usually, I promise. **

**Nauran - What's wrong with Max Sharp and Tanya Shaw? They're just normal names :P**

**Kelly Miley – I'm sorry about the loss of Snorlax, he shall be avenged! **

**Hershey's girl – I recognise you from Pariahs of Chaos :D Have a cookie (::)**

**And another message, there is a reason for the three year jump, what happened to Ash, Tanya and Max will mostly be shown in flashbacks **

**When the writing is in Italics, it's a flashback.**

**The three companions were captive in a TRED prison near Tohjo Falls for nearly three years; they escaped, and have been on the run for two months, more will be explained in later chapters, mostly in the form of flashbacks. **

**I'm making the distances between cities and stuff more realistic, making the world seem bigger.**

The wind howled and buffeted the three companions as they made their way through the hills. The cries of different Pokemon rang on the wind, but from what direction they did not know. The sleet lashed deeply at them, digging thought their clothes, drenching them in seconds, and letting the cold seep into their bones. Thunder cracked open the heavens, and lightning cleaved the sky into pieces.

"We're not going to get far in this storm; we need someplace to hunker down!" Max shouted above the wind, the air threatening to snatch his words away. Tanya nodded, and Ash scanned the surrounding area with his eyes.

"There's nowhere! I used to play around here when I was a kid, there's no shelter!" Ash cried, and his words were punctuated by thunder claps.

"The weather will slaughter us out here! We need somewhere." Max shouted back, a slight tone of irritation in his voice.

"As I told you, there's nowhere!" Ash snapped at him. Max looked like he was going to reply, when he suddenly tackled both Ash and Tanya to the ground. Ash watched as a log flew above them that would have easily broken their spines.

"There's a Machoke out there, its warning us about its territory." Max told both of them, as they got up.

"We're stuck then." Ash replied looking around. Max and Tanya looked around with him, and Max said.

"There's got to be somewhere, a small hollow? An outcropping of some sort?" Ash shook his head, and then something flashed in his eyes.

"I know where we can go." He said, and Max caught the look.

"Oh no! No! I'm not going through this with you again Ash, it's too risky, it's what they'll expect us to do, do you want them to be harmed?" Max shouted at him. Ash looked at him, and then to Tanya.

"We've got a stalemate, you've got the choice." He said the wind and cold buffeting against him. Tanya looked from Ash to Max who said.

"He's right, your choice." Tanya seemed to consider, as more thunder splintered the cries of the wild around them, and then she stood next to Ash and nodded.

"So be it." Max said gloomily, and then turned to Ash.

"Is there somewhere we can lie low without being discovered?" Ash nodded happily, his hair dangling limply into his eyes.

"Yeah, I know a place, we shouldn't be found, and I promise that when the storm is blown over, we'll leave straight away, it'll be as if we'd never been there."

"You better be right, because if we're found, by anybody, we're buggered." Max said, and then gestured for Ash to lead them back to Pallet Town.

Delia gazed out of the window as the storm thrashed against the house, slapping heavy rain and snow drops into the glass, obscuring her view of anything beyond several yards. She had just ended a phone call from Brock who was holed up in Viridian City, and would be able to arrive the next day. Tracey was also on his way, and would arrive by boat at the small cove at the south end of the town the next day also. Gary would be flying in once the storm was over, and of course Prof Oak was in his laboratory, waiting for the others to arrive. This would be the third year they would be meeting up to compare notes and theories on Ash's disappearance. Delia had received a letter a week ago informing her, that Officer Jenny would be attending to show the police's support with the still on-going search. Thanks to Ash's recent successes at the Johto Conference, his disappearance became high profile, with the media grabbing hold of the story almost viciously and the news of several other Trainers disappearances got tied in with it.

However, it had soon died down, and the police's "on-going" search was barely a search at all, with officers around both Kanto and Johto being told to keep an eye out whilst they get on with their normal patrols, and activities. In Delia's darkest moments, she convinced herself that they'd never find Ash, that he was long gone and would never be found. But Delia always fought back, forcing herself to believe and hold on tight to the chance that her son was still out there, somewhere.

Delia heard a knock at her door, and instantly knew who it would be. Misty, she was always the first of them to arrive. She opened the door, the cold, rain and blowing in and held her arms open for a hug. Misty stepped in, her bag dropping from her shoulders, and her orange hair, soaked as the rest of her, was swishing around her shoulders. She embraced the mother of one of her best friends, and Misty felt tears run into her eyes, making warm trails of water down her face, rather than cold ones. They pulled apart, and as if they were mirror images, they rubbed away their tears, causing them both to laugh, a short moment of joy for the generally subdued mood.

"Come in, come in." Delia said, stepping out of the way of the door. Misty stepped through, and by her side, so did Psyduck. Before Delia shut the door however, a yellow blur flashed into the hallway, and shook itself violently, spraying water droplets all around.

"CHA!" Pikachu cried, looking at his now puffy yellow coat. Delia smiled at Pikachu, and then picked up the several towels she had put by for them, and handed a few to Misty, and then dropped one on top of Pikachu, who sighed with relief at the still warm fabric.

"Would you like me to help you to your room?" Delia asked, looking at Misty's sodden clothes.

"No, I'll be ok." Misty replied with a smile, and with that she walked through the hallway, and then up the stairs to her room. Since the meetings began, Delia had set aside one of the spare rooms for Misty, and it soon became her very own room for whenever she wanted it. Misty paused by the door of her room, and then went on to the next door in the hall. Nothing was special about the door itself, but what was behind it definitely was. Pikachu sat silently by the door, watching her expectantly. Misty let out a sigh, and then opened the door.

The bed inside was still unmade, the same as the last time she was here, the computer was tilted at a strange angle, posters covered the walls showing a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and a Squirtle. Clothes still lay scattered around the room, and there was a row of caps on the wall. It was Ash's room, and Delia had been keeping it the same way he left it when he first journeyed off on his Pokemon Adventure.

"Misty?" A voice said behind her. Misty whirled around and found Delia, a small smile on her face. Misty understood, and stepped out of Ash's room and shut the door behind her.

Tanya watched as Max and Ash forced their way through the storm towards Pallet Town. These two had always looked out for her, fought for, and with her, they were her brothers in arms, and she knew that she would do anything for them. Tanya slipped on a small patch of ice, crashing onto the cold ground. She felt herself being lifted back onto her feet almost as quick as she fell, and saw Max and Ash lifting her up, and helping her as they entered the outskirts of the town. She cared for them both so much; she only wished that could tell them.

_Tanya sat with Max and Ash at their table at, their bright green jumpsuits clashing with everything around. They all poked at their food, a mixture of slop and grease. Around them at other tables were other prisoners, all wearing the same as the three friends, and all wore the same expressions. All had been taken by Team Rocket's Extreme Division, otherwise known as TRED. All of them had the same experiences as them; all of them knew how much it hurt. _

"_You guys alright?" Tanya asked under her breath. She had seen several members of TRED take them both out of the cell they all shared that night, and several hours later, being thrown back in, bloodied, bruised and near-broken. This was the first moment she had to speak to them, speaking was forbidden, and any caught were punished severely. Max looked up slightly and revealed a gash in his cheek, and two black eyes, a twitch of a smile hit the corner of his lips._

"_Never better." He replied quietly, his voice hoarse from the beating. Suddenly the door to the cafeteria burst open and several more guards burst in, all eyes blazing in anger. The leader, a man known as Sgt Kyrome, pointed to their table, gave a few orders telling the guards to get rid of the rest of the prisoners, and then he stormed over._

"_Where is it!" Kyrome roared at her, spittle flying from his mouth. Tanya saw Max and Ash bristle. But she didn't say anything, so the man swung a quick back hand, sending her sprawling backwards. Max was up in a flash, and hit Kyrome with an upper cut Chuck Norris would have been proud of. Kyrome flew backwards, blood spurting from his mouth where he bit his tongue. Max was then upon him, smashing his face with dual-over hand blows. Ash was up a moment behind him, and rushed at the guards who were about to take out Max. Ash bowled into them, and started flinging out blows like a madman. Suddenly Ash started convulsing as Tanya saw him being jabbed with a Taser wielded by one of the guards. Ash fell to the floor in a heap, his muscles involuntary twitching. Several of the guards rushed at Max, a dragged him off, raining several blows onto him. Max broke free of their grasp, and then turned onto the guards. Several went down before Max was brought down by one of the guards smashing him across the head with one of the metal chairs which the prisoners were supposed to sit on. Max fell to the ground, and was immediately pummelled with kicks. _

"_STOP!" Shouted a voice, and Tanya saw that Kyrome had gotten up, blood freely running down his face, and he stormed towards the forms of Ash and Max. He hunched over both of them, who had been dragged together, and then an evil snarl appeared on his face._

"_Did you not have enough last night?" He spat at them, and then he turned back to Tanya. _

_Max lifted his head, and saw Kyrome grab Tanya by the hair._

"_You didn't answer me! Looks like we have a silent type here lads, let's say we make it permanent." He said, with a disgusting smile on his face. He looked to Ash and Max and then jerked his head towards the door. _

"_Throw them into their cell, but keep this door open, let them hear her." He told them. Max and Ash were dragged out of the room, leaving Tanya in the hands of Kyrome. Before the view was obscured by the mass of surrounding guards, Max saw Kyrome pull out a pair of short shears from a pouch on his trousers, and then he then pulled out a small blowtorch and switched it on, setting it onto the blades of the shears, slowly making them red-hot. Max suddenly realised what Kyrome was doing, and struggled wildly in the hands of the guard who continued dragging them, and then threw them into their cell, the door locking quickly behind him. Both Max and Ash rushed the door, and rattled the bars fiercely, but to no avail._

_Screams, horrid screams came from the direction of the cafeteria, screams which sent shivers down both boys' spines._

"_TANYA!" Max shouted, his voice thundering down the corridor. The screams continued, until they stopped suddenly, and even though it must have been impossible. Max swore he heard the short scrape of metal against metal as the shears sliced shut. _

"_TANYA!" Max shouted again, throwing himself against the bars, bruising himself even more, until Ash stopped him, grabbing her and pushing him into the back wall of their cell, and then onto the floor. _

"_There's nothing we can do." He said simply slumping next to him. Several hours passed, and both boys kept their vigil, each remaining silent, until the treading of feet reached their ears. They watched as several TRED guards appeared in front of their cell, a slumped figure held between them. The cell door opened, and they threw figure into the cell. It was Tanya, blood had dried in her hair, and was also all over her jumpsuit. Max rushed to her, and picked her up, cradling her in his arms._

"_Tanya? Tanya? Can you hear me?" Max asked desperately, fearing the worst. Tanya's eyes opened very slowly, revealing them to be extremely blood shot. She let out a cry of grief and agony, and wept into Max, as he held her gently. _

"_Its ok Tanya, it'll all be ok." Max said quietly, as his eyes met with Ash's. Both of them had seen the shears, and now both of them had seen the result when Tanya opened her mouth to cry._

_Tanya's tongue had been brutally cut out._

All three of them sneaked through the town, as the storm raged on around them.

"Where are we going?" Max asked Ash. Ash turned back to him, a grin on his face.

"It's not far now, it's an old abandoned house, I was scared to go there when I was younger, the whole town was. No one goes near it, it'll be perfect for us to use." Ash replied. They all trudged on, the wind and freezing cold still whipping at them, threatening to hit them to the ground. They carried on walking, and then finally Ash shouted back to them.

"We're here, keep low, people might see us go in." He said as we approached what only could be called a wreck.

The front door hung and black rusted hinges, the door swinging in the dark wind. A large hole could clearly be seen clearly in the roof, and rotting-moss matted the brickwork.

"Nice place." Max muttered to his friends as they passed the trashed gate and up to the door.

"Come on, there should be a cellar we can hide in." Ash said leading the way, a torch in his hand. They crossed the threshold of the house, and Ash flicked on his torch, illuminating with a powerful beam of light. Dust hung loosely in the air, slightly swishing in the wind coming through the door. They made their way to the kitchen, keeping low as not to be seen. The kitchen was almost as bad as the rest of the house, the sink had been shattered into a dozen pieces, and the oven had been smashed with a brick. They worked their way through the rubble from one of the walls, and to the cellar door. They walked down the stairs into the gloom. There was little light, apart from Ash's torch, but the wind couldn't reach them, and the cold was subdued.

"Nice spot Ash." Max said, settling himself into a corner of the cellar, setting his wet bag next to him, and began to take off his soaked clothes.

"I try." Ash replied, opening his bag and inspecting the contents. He pulled out a silver and deep dark blue egg, and checked it for any cracks.

"Any progress?" Max asked, to which Ash shook his head. Tanya clapped her hands, grabbing the attention of the boys. She rubbed her hands together dramatically, and then held them forward as if warming them from a fire. Max nodded, and then went around the cellar, picking up twigs, branches, and dry leaves as Ash pulled out a pot and kettle from his bag. Tanya checked the bags, noting that due to the bag's material, the contents were dry, and she pulled out a change of clothes for each of them. Max piled his findings, and then set onto to lighting the small fire.

Within a few minutes, the fire was started, and a frame was made above it, which hung the kettle and pot, ready for breakfast. The smoke drifted up, and, thankfully, seeped through the cracks of the ceiling above them. Tanya passed the fresh clothes to Ash and Max, and they immediately set on getting out of their dirty clothes, which clung to their skin. Tanya watched as they took off their shirts, and then turned her head away, slightly embarrassed at her gazing. A moment later, Tanya felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Max, holding her clothes. He had pulled on a dark green hooded-shirt, with an even darker pair of jeans. A leather jacket, much like his old one was on his shoulders, but he always said that it never matched thee comfortableness of his original one. His hair was cut to around an inch short, and was as grey as ever. Ash wore similar dark clothes, but he wore a dark purple windbreaker instead of a jacket, preferring the slightly easier and less restricted movement it gave him. He also wore a new cap which he usually pulled out for when he needed to hide his face. Both had swapped their belts from their wet trousers, showing off their Pokeballs which gleamed and glittered in the spluttering firelight.

Both of the boys turned their backs to her, facing the fire, as she changed, and then she sat next to them warming herself on the flickering flames. She wore loose black trousers, a plain brown t-shirt, and a thick crimson hooded fleece. They placed their clothes around the fire, in the hope they would be dry, or dry enough in the morning.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Max asked, looking at his companions.

"Giovanni's Gym is in Viridian, but I doubt he would still actively use it, I say we make for Cinnabar Island, and check out the abandoned lab there, see what we can find there." Ash suggested, with Tanya nodding. Max looked dubious, and said.

"That's a three day journey by boat, and I doubt that Pidgeot could take all of us at once, and we're definitely _not_ splitting up. I say we go north-east, and check out Saffron, and Celadon City."

"Who said anything of flying Max? We can get passage on a boat, or if worst comes to worst, we can use our Pokemon." Ash countered. Max still looked dubious, but nodded in submission to the idea.

"So its settled, tomorrow we'll go to the bay, get passage on a ship if we can, or we'll make our own way, yeah?" Ash concluded to the nods of his friends. Tiredness seemed to hit them all at the same time, and they quickly laid out their sleeping bags next to each other, to keep warm, but also for safety.

"I'll take first watch." Ash said, and the other two nodded feebly and lay next to each other. In a matter of seconds, both were asleep, and Tanya ha drifted closer to Max. A lot closer.

_What are they like_ Ash thought to himself smiling, as he attended the fire.

Misty woke up, and knew instantly that the storm was over, and that Brock, Gary and Tracey would be here soon. She climbed out of bed, and threw on her usual regalia, but instead of shorts with suspenders, she wore plain full length jeans. She walked to her rooms window, and gazed out amongst the town. The sun was up, and Misty could see all the way to the bay, where she saw a ship coming in. Misty grabbed a jacket, and then rushed down the stairs.

"Delia, Tracey's her…" She began, but as she turned the corner, she walked straight into a tanned, black haired boy.

"Hey Misty, nice to see you too." Said Brock, helping Misty to her feet.

"Brock? When did you get here?" Misty said, enveloping him in a tight hug. After a moment, Brock pulled away, a large smile on his face.

"Around an hour go, the storm broke late last night, and as soon as it did, I made my way here. Delia let me in, and told me you were still asleep, so I had a quick nap on the couch, I heard you come down the stairs, and well, here we are." He said. Misty smiled at her good friend, and then remembered what she had seen.

"Tracey's arrived; I saw his boat coming in." She said quickly rushing towards the door, but before she got even there, she ran into another brown haired boy. His frame was smaller than Brocks, but he was just as tall, and he had his trademark smirk on his face.

"Whoa there Mist." Gary said catching her before she fell over.

"Gary? Did everyone turn up when I was asleep or something?" Misty asked incredulously. Gary shook his head, his spikey hair waving.

"Nah, I turned up around twenty minutes ago, just got through the storm, Gramps is a the docks to waiting for Tracey to arrive." Gary said opening the door for them to go. Delia came out of the kitchen and joined them.

"Nice to see you again Gary." Brock said hand clasping his friend. All of them left the house, with Delia in the lead. Misty's eyes scanned the town, as they always did whilst she was here. She always thought there might be some clue to where Ash was hidden in his hometown. But there was nothing, there never was. But there was something that caught her eye this time. She stopped and looked further down the street to her right, and saw three figures with large rucksacks walk out of the abandoned house. No one ever was at the abandoned house.

"Guys." Misty called, and pointed down the street. They all looked, and confusion crossed their faces.

"Why would be there?" Gary asked. Brock shrugged, and Delia didn't offer a reply.

"Maybe they just needed somewhere to shack for the night." Brock said.

"Whatever they were doing, their heading to the docks now." Said Delia starting towards the docks again, with the others following her.

Each time they passed a road which split up the blocks, they saw the three figures with their bags going in the same direction.

"Maybe they're going fishing?" Brock said, still trying to discern their motives. After ten minutes, they arrived at the bay, and saw the three figures standing on the dock, looking at the oncoming boat.

"There they are." Brock whispered to the group.

"Thanks for that Captain Obvious." Gary whispered back. Further down the dock, Prof Oak stood akimbo, his arms behind his back, gazing at the oncoming boat. The group keep their eyes on the three figures, and joined Prof Oak. He smiled at them all, but decided to stay silent, letting the sound of the sea wash over them.

Finally the boat pulled up to the dock, and a figure jumped off, his black hair swishing in the wind, and a sketchpad under his arm.

"Hey guys!" Tracey shouted to them. They all waved back and jogged to meet their friend. Tracey and Brock embraced, and then Tracey embraced the rest of them. A green haired woman then climbed off the boat.

"Hey Misty, you remember Maren? From the Orange Islands?" Tracey said introducing Maren to the others. Misty smiled and gave Maren a hug, remembering the events and adventures they had together.

Ash watched as his old friends and his mother walked past. He kept his head low, and his cap hiding his face in shadow.

"We should leave, right now!" Max whispered to him and Tanya. Tanya shook her head, nodding towards the other group.

"Tanya's right, if we leave now, it'll be suspicious." Ash said, still trying to obscure his identity.

"What do we do then?" Max asked, watching as the other group slowly walked down the dock towards them. Ash gave him brief instructions and Max nodded in understanding. As the crowd of Ash's friends and mother came along side of them, Max stepped out to Maren.

"Do you own that ship?" He asked her, his hood up, casting a shadow over his eyes. Maren nodded, and examined the three figures.

"Yeah, it's mine, why you ask?" Maren asked suspiciously. Max glanced back to his friends, and Tanya nodded at him.

"We need to charter your ship to Cinnabar Island." Max told her, still keeping himself in the shadows. Maren narrowed her eyes, and nodded slowly.

"That's fine; the ship will be ready to two days." She said. Max nodded and said.

"Hold on a moment." And then he turned back to his companions and spoke in hushed tones. Misty tried to listen in, and thanks to the wind blowing in the right direction at that time, she caught a few words being said.

"…gonna do…where to stay…can't risk…don't be stupid…if you want to take that risk…on your head be it." And then Max turned back and said.

"That's fine, how much will that be?" But before Maren could reply, to Misty's shock, Prof Oak stepped forward.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but who are you three?"

**So here's another chapter, sorry about the wait, I've been working on other projects. So what do you think will happen in the next chapter? Will Ash, Max, and Tanya be discovered?**

**Post your suggestions in the reviews, and whilst your at it, post long reviews as well ;)**

**I hope you all enjoy the story, and trust me, it'll get better **

**These are the Pokemon teams of the Three Companions, how and where they got them will be explained in the next few chapters, so watch this space.**

**PEACE OUT.**

**Max's Team**

Magneton

Umbreon

Arcanine

Poliwrath

Kingler

**Tanya's Team**

Pidgeot

Dewgong

Charmeleon

Slowbro

Kadabra

Pupitar

**Ash's Team**

Egg.

Butterfree (The one who went off to mate)

Gyrados

Nidoking

Primeape (The one who was training)


End file.
